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The Monroe Correctional Complex on Thursday, April 9, 2020. The Monroe Correctional Complex in 2020. A new law will expand Washington’s Clemency and Pardons Board to 10 members. It also requires board members to represent different backgrounds, including an incarcerated individual, a representative of a faith-based organization, a federally recognized tribe member, and a member from a crime victim organization. (Kevin Clark / The Herald)

Local News

Washington state Clemency and Pardons Board will be expanded

The goal is to cut down on wait times for people seeking to have their cases reviewed.

The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction faces a lawsuit from a former employee alleging wrongful termination. (Photo by Bill Lucia/Washington State Standard)

Local News

Ex-Washington state worker claims she was fired over school board vote on trans athletes

Darby Kaikkonen has sued the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction and Superintendent Chris Reykdal, alleging retaliation and…

Members of the California National Guard and federal law enforcement stand guard as people protest outside of the Edward R. Roybal Federal Building and Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles, on Tuesday. (Philip Cheung/The New York Times)

Local News

Ferguson prepares for possibility of Trump deploying troops in Washington

The governor planned to meet with the state’s top military official Tuesday, after the president sent the National…

The Washington state Capitol on April 18, 2025. (Photo by Jacquelyn Jimenez Romero/Washington State Standard)

Local News

Washington governor wants agencies to look for deeper cuts

The state’s financial turmoil hasn’t subsided. It may get worse when a new revenue forecast comes out this…

Bill Lucia / Washington State Standard
State Sen. Manka Dhingra, D-Redmond, chair of the Senate Law & Justice Committee, left, asks a question during a February 2024 hearing.

Local News

New WA agency investigating police deadly force incidents sees budget cuts

The Office of Independent Investigations still plans to expand into more parts of the state this year.

Local News

Washington stuck mid-pack in national education ranking

The new report underscores shortfalls in reading and math proficiency. Still, the state’s top school official says data…

Local News

Washington’s Supreme Court slashes public defender caseload limits

The changes will take effect Jan. 1, but local governments get a decade to comply. For cash-strapped counties,…

Travis Decker is suspected of killing his 3 daughters Paityn, Evelyn, and Olivia. (Courtesy GoFundMe)

Northwest

Manhunt expands for state dad accused of killing his 3 daughters

The bodies of the three Wenatchee girls were found June 2 near the father’s abandoned pickup.

Beginning on July 1, 2026, those living in Washington who qualify can begin accessing the long-term care benefit, which has a lifetime cap of $36,500, adjusted over time for inflation. Eligible beneficiaries living out of state can tap into benefits starting July 1, 2030. (Washington State Department of Social & Health Services)

Local News

Washington’s long-term care program nears liftoff

It’s been criticized, revised and survived a ballot box challenge. Now, the first-in-nation benefit is on track for…

Jake Goldstein-Street / Washington State Standard 
Washington Attorney General Nick Brown, center, speaks to reporters alongside Solicitor General Noah Purcell, left, and Northwest Immigrant Rights Project Legal Director Matt Adams, right, outside a Seattle courthouse where federal appeals court judges heard arguments over President Donald Trump’s executive order on birthright citizenship on Wednesday.

Local News

Trump’s birthright citizenship order lands in Seattle appeals court

The U.S. Supreme Court, meanwhile, hasn’t ruled whether a decision from one judge can block a president’s executive…

File photo 
State auditors are beginning investigations into whether police departments are properly reporting officer misconduct.

Local News

WA looks to tighten compliance under police accountability law

Washington state auditors have started investigating whether local police departments are properly reporting officer misconduct.

Local News

Court fight pits religious group that doesn’t want LGBTQ+ employees against WA law

The Union Gospel Mission of Yakima argues it can’t be forced to hire workers that don’t align with…

An employee bags groceries for a customer at a checkout counter inside a grocery store in 2017. (Bloomberg photo by Luke Sharrett)

Local News

Thousands in WA at risk of losing food benefits under GOP bill in Congress

Tens of thousands of low-income Washingtonians could lose federal food assistance if Republicans move ahead with plans in…

Attorney General Nick Brown, center, speaks to reporters alongside California Attorney General Rob Bonta, right, and Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield, left, before an event at Town Hall Seattle on Monday, June 2, 2025. (Photo by Jake Goldstein-Street/Washington State Standard)

Local News

Washington’s attorney general sees no signs of legal battles with Trump letting up

Nick Brown described a “crisis” surrounding the president’s use of executive power and said he expects to file…

This is a sample of the special license plate to become available in Washington state starting in late 2025. The Washington State Beekeepers Association will use proceeds to support research and public education on pollinators. (Image courtesy of Washington State Beekeepers Association)

Local News

Smokey Bear, pickleball, and pollinator license plates on the way in WA

The state’s latest round of specialty plates also includes two throwback options.

A damaged vehicle is seen in the aftermath of a June 2024 crash in Thurston County, in which the driver of another vehicle was suspected of speeding and driving under the influence. (Photo courtesy of Thurston County Sheriff Office)

Local News

Washington traffic deaths down after record year

But with crashes still leaving more than 700 people dead, officials say they have more work to do.

Gov. Bob Ferguson, at podium, goes to shake hands with state Sen. Noel Frame, D-Seattle, at the signing of a bill to make clergy mandatory reporters of child abuse and neglect, on May 2, 2025 in Olympia. At center is Mary Dispenza, a founding member of the Catholic Accountability Project. (Photo by Jerry Cornfield/Washington State Standard)

Local News

Bishops sue to overturn new WA law requiring clergy to report child abuse

They argue it is unconstitutional to force Catholic priests to divulge information learned in confession.

The Washington state Capitol on April 18. (Photo by Jacquelyn Jimenez Romero/Washington State Standard)

Local News

‘I’m pretty upset’: WA lawmaker wants to override governor’s veto of his bill

State lawmakers delivered 423 bills to Gov. Bob Ferguson this year and he signed them all.

Jake Goldstein-Street / Washington State Standard
Gov. Bob Ferguson slams President Donald Trump’s tariffs in a press conference alongside union leaders, lawyers, elected officials and others at the Port of Seattle on Wednesday.

Local News

Stop Trump’s tariffs, WA leaders beg court

Local ports are facing instability as shippers grapple with shifting trade policy.

Aristide Economopoulos / NJ Monitor
Guns are shown at Caso’s Gun-A-Rama in Jersey City, N.J.

Local News

Washingtonians will need state permit to buy guns under new law

The requirement will go beyond the state’s existing background checks.